Draft-gear mechanism.



D; F. CRAWFORD.

DRAFT GEAR MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED 0012a, 1907.

Patented Mar. 16,1909.

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DRAFT GEAR MECHANISM APPLICATION FILED 0GT.23, 1907.

Patented Mar. 16, 1909.

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D. F. CRAWFORD. DRAPTGEAR MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED 00123, 1907.

Patented Mar. 16, 1909.

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INVENTOR above the body Unrrn' sans PATENT rare.

DAVID F. CRAWFORD, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA. DRAFT-GEAR mncmmsnr.

Application filed October 23, 1907. Serial No. 398,729.

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that I, DAVID F. CRAWFORD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Draft- Gear Mechanisms, ofwhich the following isa specification. i

This invention has for its objects: the provision ofmeans for supportingthe draft gear on a car, said supporting means being so constructed asto extend past the car bolster and at one side thereof, and arranged forattachment to the car's center sill, whereby the buffing and pullingstrains of the draft rigging will be transmitted to said center sill ata point beyond the bolster, and eliminate the tendency to-breakageencountered in car structures where the draft sills or other draftsupporting devices extend back to or are se cured to the body bolster ofthe car.

This improvement is particularly applicable to cars in which the sills,whether made of wood or metal, are continuous and located bolster thebolster extending transversely underneath the sill and substantially inthe plane of the draft rigging.

It is found in connection with car constructions of the c iaracter lastdescribed, especially where wooden sills are employed, that there isapparently a downward and upward strain induced by the bulling and pulng strain of the draft gear, which has its cen or effective resistance uon or about the hairy bolster, and tends to reak or split the sills ator approximately at this place. In connection with car structures ofthis general character it has been found by experience in practice thatthe addition of a better form of draft gear is not productive of thedesired results in many cases, on account of the tendency of the sill togive way at the point indicated. 7 I

A further object of this invention is the rovision of means wherebydraft gears of arger diameter, as for example the standardl/Vestinghouse friction draft gear and other friction gears canbeapplied in car constructions built some years before the general use ofdevices of this character, in which the center sills are built tooclosely together to permit of ready introduction of the gearing, eitherbetween the center sills or between sub sills or draft sills locatedimmediately under the center sills as in the common form ofconstruction.

The above, as well assuch other objects Specification of Letters Patent.

Patened Marc' 1e, ieoez which may hereinafter appear, I att'ain by meansof the construction which I have illustrated in the preferred form inthe accompanying drawings wherein- I Figure l is a longitudinalsectional view on the line II of Fig. 2.

I Figure 2 is a plan view of a portion of the I car framing, showing twolongitudinal center sills with my improved mechanism or draft gearsupporting device applied thereto;

Figure 3 is a view in elevation of the body pogtion or main part of myimproved device,- an

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 1V-IVof Figure 1;

V-V of Fig. 1.

Figure 6 is another sectional view taken on the line VIVI of Fig. 1, and

Figure 7 is a sectional view on the line V IIV II of Fig. 1.

Referring now more particularly to Figures 1 and 3, it will be seen thatin carrying out my improvement Iprovide first. a main or body portion ofthe gear sup orting. device indicated'by the reference cliaracter 1,said gear supporting device preferably being constructed of cast metaland arranged with a plate 2 (see Figure 4) adapted for attachment on theunderside of the center sill 3 by means of bolts 4 or other-suitabledevices, and extending above said body portion 1 of the gear supportingdevice I raise a projecting or extending part 5 constructed to run alongadjacent to the sill 3 on the outside thereof, as clearly indicated inthe sectional views-Figures 5, 6, and 7and ada )ted for attachment tosaid center sill 3 y any suitable means (as for example a plurality ofvertical bolts 9), said extended portion 5 also being provided with aseat 6 as indicated a truss rod 7 at a point substantially above thebody bolster 8.

By the use of the bolts 9 the gear sup orting device is caused tostrengthen the sill as by the operation of, a stiffening plate, and thisat the point most subject to breakage. The projectlon 5 extends alsoabove the bod bolster at the side of the sill as indicated, and isprovided with securing bolts 9 at a point beyond the bolster in adirection toward the center of the car, the end of the projection 5being indicated at 10, and as shown, being prelaferably some distancewithin the body 0 ster.

Figure 5 1sv a sectional view on the line Y in Figure 6, intended forthe engagement of At the forward end or the outside end of the car thebody portion of the gear supporting device indicated at 1 projects belowthe end sill 11 in positionto receive the draft rigging shank 12, andbelow the gear supporting device or main body casting is a sad- .dle bar13 secured to the body portion by bolts as indicated, upon which saddleportion 13 the draft rigging is adapted to rest.

Referring to Figure 4 it will be noticed that the gear supporting deviceat the place where the draft rigging is inserted is arranged with anoffset downward projection 15 having brackets 16 for stifiening thesame,

' so asto leave more space for the insertion of a large-sized gear suchas the ordinary friction gear commonly employed. Thus it will be seen byexamination of Figure 4 that the distance from the center line of thecar to the inside'i'ace of the sill 3 is considerably less than theclearance space within which the friction gear indicated by the dottedhalfcircle 17 is located.

In order to provide a means for taking the buffing strain from the endsills direct, the upper portion of the gear supporting device isprojected forward to form a shoulder indicated at 18 in Figure 3. Theconstruction shown in Figure 3, as is evident from an examination of thedrawings, will therefore transmit strains directly from the end sillsand from the friction gear, to a point upon the center sill, beyond orinside of the bolster, and the location of the projecting part 5 at'eachside of the center sills and above the bolster makes it easy to replacethe supporting device in case of any breakage, without disturbing eitherthe sills of the car or the bolster itself.

Having thus described my invention andillustrated its use, what I claimas new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is the followin 1. woodencenter sill and a transverse bolster, of a gear supporting device at thefront of the bolster provided with a truss portion extending to the rearalongside the sill and rigidly secured to the sill for stiffening itabove the bolster.

2. A draft gear supporting device provided with rearwardly extendingtruss portion and a seat -thereon arranged to support a car trussrod,intermediate the ends of said rod.

3. In combination in a car having a wooden center sill and a transversebolster, of a gear sup orting device at the front of the bolster andeneath the centersill provided with a truss portion extending to therear alongside the sill and rigidly secured to the sill for stiffeningit above the bolster.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence ofthe two subscribed witnesses. v

DAVID E- CRAWFORD.

Witnesses:

ARCHWORTH MARTIN, I DQERING BELLINGER.

in combination in'. a car having a

